I would like to learn more about the issue of the gender gap in education. It is a topic that is fascinating and important to me because I am raising 3 boys and my oldest definitely did not work to his full potential through his middle school and high school years. Despite everyone's attempts to get him to work harder nothing got through to him and he skated through high school doing just enough work to avoid failing. For a long time I thought it was a few outliers and their struggling parents. Once I started talking to others, however, I realized the issue of boys not working to their potential is not uncommon at all. Then I started reading articles about the gender gap and boys' struggles and I saw it is an issue everywhere.
This issue is important for RI and the country for so many reasons. First, if boys are not getting the education they should be, they are entering the workforce unprepared. With an already struggling economy it is going to be difficult to find a quality job without a proper education and appropriate skills. More boys graduating unprepared will only widen the gap in Rhode Island already has between the skills workers have and the skills needed for jobs. In addition they are going to be competing for these jobs with many more qualified and better applicants in the increasing numbers of women who are getting quality degrees. To look at that in a longer term, if a man can not support himself and his family they may need to rely on public assistance. Also there is a mental health piece to this. People feel confident when they experience success. If a student shuts down in school ,then enters the work force unprepared and does not experience success, or lives paycheck to paycheck, there is a greater chance of depression or anxiety. These are all things that could negatively affect society.
The major pieces of this issue that I would like to research are:
1. Is there a true achievement gap based on gender? If so, how significant is it?
2. What are the reasons that boys are not working to their potential therefore causing this gap?
3. Is there a correlation between the increase in girls' academic improvements and boys' underachieving?
4. What strategies can parents use to help improve boys' engagement in school?
5. How can teachers motivate underachieving students to try to keep them engaged in school?
6. Is there a correlation between the students who underachieve in school and the lack of quality jobs once they are in the work force?
There are numerous articles and academic papers that have been published on this issue, many of which have charts and statistics. The website education.com also has many articles on this issue. The more I read and click on links, the deeper the research is. The original research articles will be the best sources for the statistics on academic achievement and jobs, while parenting and education sites will be good sources for ways to help students.
This issue is important for RI and the country for so many reasons. First, if boys are not getting the education they should be, they are entering the workforce unprepared. With an already struggling economy it is going to be difficult to find a quality job without a proper education and appropriate skills. More boys graduating unprepared will only widen the gap in Rhode Island already has between the skills workers have and the skills needed for jobs. In addition they are going to be competing for these jobs with many more qualified and better applicants in the increasing numbers of women who are getting quality degrees. To look at that in a longer term, if a man can not support himself and his family they may need to rely on public assistance. Also there is a mental health piece to this. People feel confident when they experience success. If a student shuts down in school ,then enters the work force unprepared and does not experience success, or lives paycheck to paycheck, there is a greater chance of depression or anxiety. These are all things that could negatively affect society.
The major pieces of this issue that I would like to research are:
1. Is there a true achievement gap based on gender? If so, how significant is it?
2. What are the reasons that boys are not working to their potential therefore causing this gap?
3. Is there a correlation between the increase in girls' academic improvements and boys' underachieving?
4. What strategies can parents use to help improve boys' engagement in school?
5. How can teachers motivate underachieving students to try to keep them engaged in school?
6. Is there a correlation between the students who underachieve in school and the lack of quality jobs once they are in the work force?
There are numerous articles and academic papers that have been published on this issue, many of which have charts and statistics. The website education.com also has many articles on this issue. The more I read and click on links, the deeper the research is. The original research articles will be the best sources for the statistics on academic achievement and jobs, while parenting and education sites will be good sources for ways to help students.